Simulated icicle decorations



Jan. 31, 1967 M. T. RICHARDSON SIMULATED ICICLE DECORATIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 4, 1965 aw (mm Filed Jan. 4. 1965 Jan. 31,1967 M. T. RICHARDSON 3,302,013

SIMULATED ICICLE DECORATIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

FIG. 5 8

I N VENTOR. M/IXWHZ 7. lP/C M41905 0 BY fimwz ms United States Patent 3,302,013 SIMULATED ICICLE DECORATIONS Maxwell T. Richardson, I0 Ingrid Drive, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada Filed Jan. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 422,978 4 Claims. (Cl. 240) My invention broadly relates to improvements in decorations of the kind which are used for the Christmas festive season, and in particular to the provision of a decoration simulating one or more icicles hanging from a building and illuminated to produce a highly decorative eifect.

The decorative icicle or icicles may be got up in colour or colours in order to embellish their decorative eifect, particularly when illuminated either from within or by a source of illumination directed thereon. The decorative icicle or icicles will be made up as a unit preferably of a formable material, such as plastic, and may be of a translucent character for illumination by a light source either therein or at the rear thereof. The decorative icicle unit may be used singly or in multiples, and although primarily intended to be hung from the eaves of a dwelling may be suspended outdoors on other parts of a building.

A simulated icicle decoration according to my invention may be provided with an icicle body moldably formed of a suitable plastic in a hollow shell-like configuration open at the rear and provided with suspension means thereat by which the icicle decoration can be readily attached to a support and firmly secured to hang perpendicularly as an outdoor decoration.

A simulated icicle body may be made up in an attractive design representing a single icicle or a bank of icicles in the form of a hollow shell-like body having a front viewing side and an open rear side with a suspension means at the rear and constructed and arranged to either be concealed or inconspicuous from the front viewing side. The suspension means desirably serves to mount the lighting means which may include one or more lamps within the hollow translucent body for example. The light source may be furnished by one or more lights of a string of standard outdoor lights which may be conveniently used particularly when a number of the decorative icicle units are hung in a row on the eaves of a bui ding.

One convenient way of suspending a decorative icicle unit of this kind is to employ one or more suspension straps with hook portions for engaging over the upper front edge of an eavestrough and including strap elements for attachment to the sotfit portion of the eaves of a building as by fastening elements such as nails or screws. As a variant form of suspension means, clip-on straps may be provided for engaging the upper front edge portion of an eavestrough in association with extension elements in the form of spurs rigid with the decorative body and engageable under the shingles. Either of these arrangements have the advantage of producing a stabilizing effect for resisting the winter elements.

The primary object of my invention is to produce a novel and highly decorative outdoor decoration simulating a single or a group of icicles. A still further aim of the invention is to produce an article of this kind which is serviceable and inexpensive to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts as disclosed in the ensuing specification illustrated in the accompanying drawings form a part thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a frontal perspective view of a simulated icicle decoration constructed in accordance with my invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1 but showing the decoration viewed from the rear;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing the article mounted on the eaves of a building;

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a modified form of suspension means, FIG. 4 being a similar view to FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 being a vertical section similar to FIG. 3.

Referring at first to FIGS. 1-3 inclusive my invention is shown herein as comprising a decorative body 6 representing by way of example but not of limitation two icicles 8 stemming from a unitary upper portion 10. This decorative body may be of modified design with respect to the showing of a single or a multiple of icicles united to form a unit construction. The icicle body is of a hollow construction being formed with a cavernous interior denoted at 12 and open at the rear as at 14.

The icicle is of a shell-like configuration and is desirably constructed of a light-in-weight material such as a suitable plastic. The icicle body may be inexpensively manufactured by molding it from sheet plastic and may be translucent in part or in whole so that it may be illuminated by a light source at the rear. The plastic may be coloured to enhance the appearance of the article.

Integrated fastening means may be resorted to if so desired, however, in the present instance the suspension means is shown as attached to the icicle body, and as comprising a pair of horizontally arranged cross straps l6 and 18 disposed at the rear open side and disposed one above the other. The straps are substantially flush with the rear face 14 of the plastic body and have inturned ends 20 disposed within the cavernous opening 12- and secured to the sidewall portions '22 of the body 6 as by rivets 24 or otherwise secured according to known means. Said straps are located near the top of the body 6 and serve to support spaced attachment straps 26. Attachment straps 2 6 are vertically arranged in spaced relation and are bent downwardly at their upper ends to form hooks 2.8 for engaging on the upper front edge portion of an eavestrough 30 of a building, as depicted in FIG. 3. The attachment straps 26 are secured to the cross straps 16 and 18 as by rivets 34- or are otherwise secured thereto and are continued downwardly and outwardly in lower end portions 36. The end portions 36 are pierced to receive nails or other fastening means to enable them to be secured to a soffit portion 38 of the building as indicated at 40 in FIG. 3. According to this arrangement the attachment means firmly mounts the icicle unit on a building to depend vertically. The application to a building is simple and may be easily effected by an unskilled person. As mounted the icicle decoration presents a front viewing side and a rear attachment side. In FIG. 2 an electric lamp 32 is shown as suspended on the cross strap 18. The attachment means is not exposed to view from the front and is inconspicuous.

The modified form of attachment means shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 comprises a pair of attachment straps 4-2 vertically arranged in spaced relation and united with the cross straps 16 and 18. These attachment straps have their upper ends bent rearwardly and downwardly to form clips 44 for clip-on engagement with the upper front edge portion of an eavestrough 4-6 of a building of a shingle construction as represented at 48 in FIG. 5. The attachment straps 42 have their upper ends continued beyond the clips 44 to form spurs 50 for engaging under shingles 52 (FIG. 5). The spurs act to stabilize the decorative body to resist wind pressure etc. According to this construction the mounting of the icicle decoration can be effected without any tools as: it is merely necessary to insert the spurs under shingles and engage the clips 44 on the eavestrough.

From the preceding description it Will be manifest that my invention provides a novel and highly serviceable icicle decoration which is inexpensive to manufacture.

What I claim is:

1. A simulated icicle decoration comprising a decorative body simulating at least a single icicle and having a front viewing side and a rear side, said decorative body constructed of a formable translucent material in a shell-like configuration with a cavity which is open to the rear thereof, cross straps disposed at the rear side of said decorative body and secured to the side portions thereof, said cross straps serving to hold a lamp socket, and vertically arranged attachment straps secured to said cross straps and extending rearwardly therefrom for! fastening to a relatively fixed support.

2. The structure of claim 1, said attachment straps including downwardly bent upper ends for hooking onto a portion of an eavestrou'gh.

3. A simulated icicle decoration comprising a decorative ibody simulating at least a single icicle and having a front viewing side and a rear side, said decorative body constructed of a formable translucent material in a shelllike configuration With a cavity Which is open to the rear thereof, a light source within said cavity for illuminating said decorative body, and suspension means for securing said decorative body to the cave portion of a building including at least one strap having a hook-on element for engaging an eavestrough, and a spur rigid with decorative body and en-ga'geable under a shingle.

4. The structure of claim 3, wherein said hook-on element is a vertically arranged strap having an upper end bent to form a clip, and wherein said spur is fashioned as a continuation of the clip and is a part of said strap.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,781,835 11/1930 Emmes et a1.

2,042,905 6/ 1936 McCluskey 240-10 X 2,114,194 4/1938 Sadacca 240-10 2,488,666 11/1949 Herst 240-4 2,513,565 7/1950 Johnson 240-10 2,723,341 11/1955 Greenspan 240-2 2,913,575 11/1959 Lipscomb 240-78 X 3,011,049 11/1961 Kinghorn 240-10 3,204,090 8/1965 Kvarda 240-10 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SIMULATED ICICLE DECORATION COMPRISING A DECORATIVE BODY SIMULATING AT LEAST A SINGLE ICICLE AND HAVING A FRONT VIEWING SIDE AND A REAR SIDE, SAID DECORATIVE BODY CONSTRUCTED OF A FORMABLE TRANSLUCENT MATERIAL IN A SHELL-LIKE CONFIGURATION WITH A CAVITY WHICH IS OPEN TO THE REAR THEREOF, CROSS STRAPS DISPOSED AT THE REAR SIDE OF SAID DECORATIVE BODY AND SECURED TOTHE SIDE PORTIONS THEREOF, SAID CROSS STRAPS SERVING TO HOLD A LAMP SOCKET, AND VERTICALLY ARRANGED ATTACHMENT STRAPS SECURED TO SAID CROSS STRAPS AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY THEREFROM FOR FASTENING TO A RELATIVELY FIXED SUPPORT. 